Despite countless attempts, there has never been a superb Master Chief action figure. That changed when 1000toys released its newest rendition of the character.
Most blockbuster video games don’t receive toys or action figure merchandise. Presumably, gamers would rather spend their disposable income on games than toys. For those of us who are both action figure collectors and gamers, this is a painful reality. For whatever reason, Halo has never fallen prey to that mindset.
The late, great Joyride Studios brought us the first Halo action figures way back in 2003. The figures were unusually good for their time, with detailed sculpts and decent articulation. Joyride held the license for three years, producing Master Chief, Cortana, multiplayer Spartans, the Covenant, the Flood, human marines, and vehicles.
In my humble opinion, Joyride’s Halo 2 Master Chief was one of the best, if not the best Master Chief figure until this month.
After Joyride Studios went kaput, McFarlane (in a rare foray into articulated figures), Mattel, and Jazwares held the license with varying degrees of success. While I think Joyride produced the best Master Chief, McFarlane was the best license holder from top-to-bottom.
Still, with a Spartan 117-sized hole to fill, there remained a market for high-end Halo figures. Enter 1000toys.
In mid-2020, 1000toys released its first Master Chief, a flawed, stylized figure based on the original game, 2001’s Halo: Combat Evolved. The figure’s wrist pegs weren’t big enough to secure its hands, leaving collectors with a $125 paperweight. When the company announced a second Master Chief, this one based on 2021’s Halo Infinite, I decided to roll the dice again. I have such strong feelings about the 1000toys Hellboy that I felt it was worth a shot. Fortunately, the gamble paid off.
For those who know Mezco’s One:12 Collective packaging, 1000toys will feel familiar. The figure comes packaged in a cardboard sleeve with a window box inside. Mercifully, the packaging is smaller and thinner than Mezco’s space-eating boxes.
Chief retails for a somewhat insane $149.99. He’s packed out with a decent amount of accessories, including the iconic assault rifle, Halo Infinite’s new CQS48 Bulldog shotgun, a Covenant energy sword, and five sets of hands (karate chop, trigger fingers, energy sword-wielding, relaxed hands, and fists). For the price, it could include another weapon, but I won’t complain. The guns can also be stored on Chief’s back. If you remove the small, black vent pieces on Chief’s back (something that probably has to be done with a toothpick), you’ll reveal two peg holes.
My issues are with the relaxed hands and the sword. I think relaxed hands are the most expressive hands possible and should be included with every action figure release, but they’re unconvincing holding the assault rifle’s barrel or the Bulldog’s vertical grip. Extra hands to grip the gun barrel and vertical grip would’ve been appreciated. The sword would be my go-to weapon on the shelf, but the thing is gargantuan. It’s at least a third bigger than it should be.
Ponying up another $15 will get you the deluxe Master Chief, which includes Halo Infinite’s new shock rifle and replaces the blue energy sword with the red sword that makes a fleeting appearance in the game’s campaign.
The sculpt shines, but that won’t surprise long-time Halo collectors. Joyride, Jazwares, McFarlane, and even Mattel have nailed Chief’s armor detail and proportions. The 1000toys Chief stands close to 7” tall, which makes the figure true 6” scale.
To release around the same time as the game, Chief was based on early concept art. In the final game, Master Chief’s armor has seen some shit. It’s taken noticeable damage from energy weapons, spots of silver are showing through along the edges, and the entire thing is caked in a thick layer of grime.
The figure itself is clean with the exception of the mark on the left side of the chest piece. Before release, I worried that I would be forced to apply paint details to a $150 figure, but I don’t feel the need after having it in hand. It doesn’t match the game design, but it’s a statement piece on your video game shelf, even in unblemished armor.
As you may have surmised, the ash heap of Master Chief toy history is littered with poorly articulated figures. Gun-wielding characters make their bones on their ability to convincingly hold guns. Articulating a bulky suit of armor takes some clever engineering, and this area, above all others, is where you get your money’s worth.
This figure has more moving parts than anything in my collection, so I won’t try to deconstruct the articulation scheme. As an articulation junkie and a Halo superfan, I can say that this figure hits every pose I need it to. I think the ankle could have more forward motion, but it’s hard to find fault in anything else. 1000toys implemented a number of sneaky joints to give Chief more than enough range to kick Covenant ass. Some highlights:
- The shoulder pads are on hinges, allowing them to move out of the way
- The arms feature butterfly joints, bicep swivel, and elbow swivel, allowing Chief to move his arms across his chest despite the armor
- The crotch/belt is four separate pieces: the front center crotch piece, the back center crotch piece, and two hinged pieces that move out of the way for the hip articulation
At $150, this figure isn’t for everyone. The mass-market Jazwares line offers more bang for your buck. However, this is the be-all, end-all of Master Chief figures. The sculpt, paint, and articulation are the best we’ve ever seen.
The 1000toys Master Chief is not without its flaws. The energy sword is too big, the weapon storage system is finicky, and the knee and ankle articulation is unnecessarily convoluted. But this is the rare case where I wouldn’t be mad if we never got another Master Chief again. It’s an early contender for my 2022 figure of the year.
